Job seekers: Expand your network overnight

PHOENIX -- We've all heard the saying, "it's all about who you know" when it comes to landing your dream job. There are strategies to expand your network overnight.

Shanna Landolt is a former head hunter. "It essentially has become this monsterous rolodex."

Landolt recommends the best way to maximize your exposure in this competitive job market, get Linkedin. "I would actually say that closer to 99 percent or 100 percent of recruiters actually use Linkedin to vet their candidates."

Linkedin is known for professional networking but it's become the "go to" site for employers and recruiters. So it's important to create a professional profile.

Landolt recommends, "Do not put a picture of your dog, with your baby, a wedding photo, something casual at a party with a group of friends. You really don't want to do that, you could actually not get interviewed because of the quality of your photo."

The next tip, join the Open Link network. It's the best way to instantly connect with a lot of people. "It's just a setting that you put yourself on Linkedin but you can connect with other people who are Open Link members and it expands your network really rapidly."

The third tip, showcase your strengths with recommendations. Often recommendations are considered just as important as a reference check. The best way to get a recommendation, "Actually write a recommendation for them. Say something great about them and then it's really easy to ask, hey, do you mind writing me a recommendation in return and people are usually really happy to do that."

Tip number four, forget about expanding your endorsements, "It's easy to click a button, yes, yes, yes, for endorsements and a lot of what people endorse people for, really isn't relevant to what they do. A recommendation is weighted far more heavily than an endorsement."

Bottomline, "Almost everybody is on Linkedin and certainly in a professional environment if you're not on Linkedin, you're considered not relevant."